During the era of having coach Brian O’Connor at the helm, the Virginia baseball team has had a rich history of closers.
As a four-year closer from 2004-07, Casey Lambert set the all-time ACC career saves record with 43. With the graduation of Lambert, then-senior Michael Schwimer took on the new role last season with questions about whether he could handle it. He responded with 14 saves, tying the all-time Virginia single-season record Lambert set in 2005.
This season, however, the Cavaliers have a closer that could one-up both of his predecessors if he is given enough opportunities. Junior Matt Packer returns not only as the most consistent performer out of the bullpen for Virginia, but also in the nation: his 1.14 ERA won him the ERA title last season. The next closest mark for pitchers who threw at least 50 innings was 1.43.
The southpaw Packer set this microscopic mark while serving his first season in a bullpen role as Virginia’s stopper, frequently emerging in tight situations with runners on base.
In other words, Virginia now has a closer who was statistically the best pitcher in the country last season and perhaps the most clutch.
“It should be just an inning later [than last season],” Packer said. “It shouldn’t be anything too different than last year hopefully.”
Given who O’Connor has put in the closer’s role in seasons past, it is no surprise that he selected a player such as Packer, whose latest achievement includes being selected to the preseason watch list for the 2009 Stopper of the Year Award by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
“I just think, when you have a chance to win a ballgame going into that eighth and ninth inning, you need to win that game,” O’Connor said.
Whether Packer can challenge the 14-save mark set by Schwimer and Lambert depends on how many times O’Connor can insert Packer in the final innings with his team leading by three runs or fewer — and for Virginia, whether the team can hold a lead in the middle innings is the biggest uncertainty coming into the season. The Cavaliers will most likely rely on a group of underclassmen with limited experience and limited success in middle relief: sophomores Tyler Wilson, Kevin Arico and Robert Morey, and redshirt freshman Sean Lucas. Wilson’s 4.20 ERA was the lowest of the four last season. Morey has the most experience with 27.2 innings pitched, but his 6.51 ERA also is the worst of the group.
“Everything I learned last year coming out of the pen I try and tell them so they don’t have to learn it like I did last year,” Packer said. “But, hopefully, they catch on.”
If one of the four underclassmen develops into a reliable performer, O’Connor could move that pitcher into the closing role, bumping Packer into the weekend rotation. Packer was the Saturday starter for much of his freshman season, and in three starts last season he gave up two earned runs in 18 innings pitched. He also came in for a dominant 6.2 inning relief sting in the Regional last season against Cal-Fullerton. Although the Cavaliers went on to lose the game 4-1 and were bounced from the Regional, it was not a result of any shortcomings on Packer’s part, as he allowed just two hits and one earned run.
“We’ll see how that transitions as the year goes along, but I just think that we need a veteran [at closer], a proven guy,” O’Connor said. “He’s our most versatile option.”
Leaving Packer for the final inning is a gamble in some sense, particularly for this team. Virginia’s young pitching staff, in addition to the four unproven sophomores in the middle innings, includes freshman Danny Holtzman, the likely Saturday starter. Providing the run support for the young pitching staff will be even more youth; on many days, Virginia will hit eight underclassmen, including three freshmen. Perhaps as a result of all this youth, the team was picked fourth in the Coastal division in the ACC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll.
Whether the Cavaliers can get the ball to Packer with the score in their favor is a question. If last year is any indication, though, once Packer takes the mound with the lead, his teammates in the dugout can start packing up the equipment.
“He’s got the most moxy, and the kind of stuff to finish games for us,” O’Connor said. “It’s a matter of those other kids bridging the gap to him.”
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